Lark Randon

LARK (ALOU) RANDON

Cedar Rapids

Lark (Alou) Lileah Harris Randon of Cedar Rapids died in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 4, 2016, at the age of 18 years, leaving her parents heartbroken, but full of memories. A private memorial service was held at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art on Oct. 8, 2016, which would have been her 19th birthday.

Born Oct. 8, 1997, in Houston, Lark was intense and amazing from the beginning. At birth, following her first cries, she gazed keenly around the delivery room, taking everything in with the brightest of dark brown eyes. At that moment, her parents, Lileah Harris and Lennox Randon, knew she had an exceptionally alert mind, and could see that she recognized them by their voices.

For the first eight years of her life, Lark resided in Bellaire, Texas, with her parents. Throughout early childhood she needed a great deal of comforting and closeness. During infancy, Lark could not settle down in her crib, where she slept for only a week after

her parents brought her home from the hospital though many years later, she said she

remembered being in the crib. Her mother, Lileah, cherished carrying her in a baby sling for hours every day, whenever and for however long Lark wanted or needed to be held, chatting and laughing with Lark continually. Her parents rocked her in their arms in a glider during her long afternoon naps, and Daddy Randon and the Plush Toys put on a nightly musical show in an attempt to soothe her at bedtime. After that, Mommy Lileah sang Lark to sleep with made-up songs such as "Lark Can Do," "Lark Lark Littlebird" and "Cuddle Me Loose."

She was clearly precocious. At 18 months, she stood up in her high chair and performed a jazzy song-and-dance version of the A-B-C's. By age 2 1/2, she could read. She attended Post Oak Montessori School, enrolling shortly before her third birthday and remaining there until age 8, except for her kindergarten year at River Oaks Elementary. In November 2005, the family relocated to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Lileah had grown up and her parents still resided. Lark entered Pierce Elementary School two months into second grade. The move and change of schools was hard on Lark at first, but she met a dear friend, "P," at Pierce. Fifth grade teacher Mrs. Christine Sepulveda was one of Lark's most inspiring and outstanding schoolteachers.

As she grew, Lark's comments became progressively more pithy, witty and amusing. She posed profound questions and was a gifted student, scoring in the 99th percentile nationally on the Cognitive Abilities Test. But she was ill at ease in the public school environment. Lark attended Franklin Middle School, which she had enthusiastically looked forward to. However, the social environment was difficult for her. Fortunately, Mrs. Dianna Geers, who led the Program for Academic and Creative Talent (PACT), a curriculum for high ability students, not only taught, but also befriended Lark. In addition, Lark and her parents received strong support from the Franklin principal. Lark became close friends with another classmate, "L." She also started cello lessons, an enriching experience for her, and joined the orchestra. When Lileah asked how it felt to play cello, Lark replied with a warm smile, "If I had to describe it, I'd say it's like chocolate."

She began high school at Kennedy, but was even more uncomfortable there. Because she qualified for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), she discontinued classes at Kennedy, though she remained in orchestra a little longer. She also continued private cello lessons through Orchestra Iowa School for several months. Special benefits of her IEP included regular visits by Heather Mouchka and Michele McNeal of Grant Wood Area Education Agency, who provided Lark with companionship, wholehearted respect, and unconditional acceptance.

Eventually, Lark's high school education transitioned to intermittent home study under the guidance of her father, a former teacher. She also took a Nurse Aide course at Kirkwood Community College. After finishing school, Lark achieved perfect scores in practically all subjects on the HiSET exam, obtaining her High School Equivalency Diploma nearly two years early.

Throughout her formal and informal education, Lark pursued many personal interests on her own. She taught herself French, reading many works of poetry and literature in that language. She subsequently studied Danish and Arabic. She was intrigued by herpetology, horticulture, philosophy and classical mythology. She was well versed in history and geography and capable in mathematics. She learned the art of printmaking in a printing press class at PS1 (Public Space One) in Iowa City. PS1 was a tranquil, safe haven for Lark a place where she was not judged for being different and where she quietly fit in. On a few occasions, she visited the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, another calm space for her, to examine prints from the Mauricio Lasansky collection.

Perhaps her strongest gift was language. Her incredibly intelligent mind wielded English powerfully, applying it to incisive analytical thinking, eloquent speaking and authentic writing in her own unique voice. To quote her father, a novelist, "Her eye for detail and artful descriptions was a gift that seemed as natural as breathing."

For her first professional biography, she wrote, "Lark (or Alou) Randon resides in Cedar Rapids. She pursues independent studies in the company of her cats, Erica and Francis. Lark's interests include composing, arranging and recording music for multiple instruments; philosophy; foreign languages; literature; writing; and horticulture. She is 15 years old."

Lark began writing a novel, "Christiania," during the summer of 2012. Between the autumn of 2013 and April 2014, she published three works: "Thrips" in Obsolete! Magazine, "Village F" featured in the Exuberant Politics Exhibition and "The Capitalist Party," included in the anthology, AnarchoSF by Obsolete! Press. In 2015, she spent a month living in Denmark doing background research for "Christiania," exploring the cities that her characters visited, incorporating a handful of real-life events into the plot, and completing the first draft of her novel in Copenhagen. While in northern Europe, she traveled by train to other cities in Denmark, and made a day trip to Malmo, Sweden.

Music and writing provided tremendous self-expression for Lark. On her website she stated, "I am a classically-trained cellist,

who has since studied and played electric and bass guitar, harmonium, keyboards, glockenspiel and swarmandal. I began composing instrumentals in 2009 and recording music in 2012. My work ranges from classical to experimental to punk. In 2015, I developed Sœur, a retro indie game and its score. I began writing prose professionally in 2013; in 2015, I began seriously writing and performing poetry." Lark wrote Sœur in French, and created a font called Jocasta specifically for the game.

One of her earliest musical pieces was "Roswell," a duet for piano and cello, which she and her mother performed, first for the Cedar Rapids family and subsequently at the All City Instrumental Music Contest. She produced four music collections: "Paperwhite" (January 2013), "Today is a Good Day to Start a Victory Garden" (February 2014), "Holy Acrimony" (March 2015) and "Schizophrene" (November 2015). On those recordings she sang and played all instruments, including recorder, percussion, bells and xylophone, in addition to the aforementioned instruments. The sole vocal track is "I Can Hear Myself Think," a haunting, but brilliant piece. The title song for "Paperwhite" is another standout, lyrical and filled with yearning. All of her music is available at her website, alou-randon.com.

Lark had a fervent desire to live in her own apartment in a large, diverse city. While she would have much preferred northern Europe, she accepted a return to the Houston area, where many family and friends of her parents resided. Her father and mother helped her find and lease a brand new, modern, secure apartment in the vibrant Upper Kirby district, where she lived with her precious orange cat, Francis. (Lark also adored Francis' sister, Erica, a sweet and pretty, but skittish, white kitty, who remained at the family's Cedar Rapids home.) Lark regularly frequented the city's record shops, vegan restaurants, concert venues, and a nearby prayer center (Masjid), getting around town on foot and by taxi, bicycle, metro bus and scooter.

In Houston, Lark and a few friends formed an artists' collective. She published her zine, "Fur Netter," and participated in spoken word performances and competitions through Write About Now at Avant Garden, where she became known as "Alou" short for the French word "alouette," meaning lark, but in English informally denoting a girl who is smart, witty and stunning. A special moment occurred when her name was announced before a reading, and the crowd cheered "Alou, Alou!" Those competitions gave her emotional support, acclaim and elation when she succeeded, and despair when she did not. Unbeknownst to Lark, she had a high ranking and was eligible to compete for a slot at the National Poetry Slam in Atlanta.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandmother, Lether Marshall, and maternal grandmother, (Evelyn) Lileah Harris. Her maternal grandfather, Dr. Percy Harris, passed away a few months after Lark. She was beloved by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Lark had a special companionship with her father, Randon, through a shared interest in music, films, books, concerts, extreme sports and Super Mario Brothers played on the Wii. With her mother, she spent hours at museums or restaurants or speaking French or cooking or discussing philosophical questions her mother barely understood or going to New Pioneer Co-op or Blick Art Materials or on special trips. Lark and her mom also shared many hugs in which Lark carried Francis The Cat to Lileah so he could be snuggled between mother and daughter. The family saw the musical "Wicked" many times in different cities, and went to performances by acts such as Eisley and Bill Maher. They traveled together around the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Canada.

In not quite 19 years, Lark lived a full life. She knew what she was determined to accomplish, sometimes years in advance.

Most of all, Lark was caring. When she saw people in need, she tried to help by donating money, watching their belongings, doing an errand, or providing other assistance. When her great-aunt Betty Jean Furgerson ("Bj") wanted a cat, Lark searched the animal shelter to locate the perfect companion, who she named Coraline. Her parents' Little Bird can't be replaced. She taught them about unconditional love, made them laugh, and helped them contemplate life on a deeper level. Their grief and devastation are incalculable. But Lark "Alou" Randon will be loved forever and beyond.